Value Proposition:
· Cellular therapy for the treatment of lung fibrosis with potential to stop and reverse underlying disease pathology.
· Improved efficacy and accessibility compared to status-quo therapies.
· Potential autologous therapy, as peripheral T cells can be used to induce this tissue resident memory subset.
Technology Description.
· Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a subset of tissue resident memory cells (TRM) that are capable of preventing lung fibrosis and reversing existing organ damage.
· Adoptive transfer of this TRM subset reversed functional restriction, gas transfer defects, and collagen deposition in vivo mouse models of fibrotic lung disease.
Unmet Need
There is no cure for patients with lung fibrosis; current treatments fall within two extremes: antifibrotic agents and lung transplantation. While antifibrotic agents are accessible, their efficacy is limited for resolving symptoms or halting disease progression. Alternatively, lung transplantation is a high-cost procedure that carries significant risk (e.g., graft rejection, lifelong immunosuppression) and is not accessible for many lung fibrosis patients. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop effective and accessible therapies to improve health outcomes for patients with lung fibrosis.
Stage of Development
· Proof-of-concept studies have demonstrated the role of tissue resident memory cells in reversal of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis pathology in an in vivo mouse model.
· Proof-of-concept studies have demonstrated potential for adoptive transfer using an in vitro system.
· Looking for partners to develop and commercialize this technology as an adoptive cellular transfer therapy for patients with lung fibrosis.
Publication
1. Adoptive transfer of CD49a+ Tissue resident memory cells reverses pulmonary fibrosis in mice
bioRxiv preprint. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.13.584814
2. Immune dysregulation as a driver of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. J Clin Invest. 2021 Jan 19;131(2):e143226. doi: 10.1172/JCI143226
3. Vaccinia vaccine-based immunotherapy arrests and reverses established pulmonary fibrosis.
JCI Insight. 2016 Apr 7;1(4):e83116. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.83116.
